Triggering of ventilatory support systems is usually dependent upon respiratory effort of a patient. Respiratory effort can be detected by measuring myoelectrical activity in a respiratory-related muscle of the patient. A method of measuring such myoelectrical activity is to insert an electrode catheter into the patient's respiratory tract or oesophagus, this electrode catheter being connected to a signal amplifier.
Current manufacturing of electrode catheters typically involves mounting stiff and large contacts that usually come under the form of rings. Those electrodes are commonly mounted directly on the outer surface of the catheter. A large contact area is preferred in catheters of which the electrodes are used for electrical stimulation. In contrast, however, the measurement of myoelectrical signals, e.g. respiratory-related muscle activity via electrodes located in the respiratory tract, does not require such large surface areas.
Although the use of a ring-shaped electrode is advantageous since this structure secures the electrode around the body of the catheter, it has limitations. Typically, ring electrodes are made from sections of rigid or stiff metal tubing as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,588,423 granted to Christer Sinderby on Jul. 8, 2003. This means that upon insertion of a ring electrode catheter, for example a size-16 French nasogastric tube typically of large size relative to the width of the passages in which it is inserted (nostrils, throat, oesophagus, etc.), the ring electrodes can damage the mucosa of the nostrils and/or the upper airways of the patient during both insertion and pulling back of the catheter. In addition to tissue damage, this type of ring electrode catheters can also cause discomfort to the patient. Therefore, there exists a need in the industry to replace rigid metal ring electrodes and to develop narrower and/or smoother electrode catheters that minimise or eliminate tissue damage caused by both insertion and pulling back of an electrode catheter.
Furthermore, the amount of time and effort involved in manufacturing catheters is critical to the price of these catheters. Easy and efficient installation of electrode arrays on a catheter would therefore be of great value.
Last but not least, metals that are approved for the manufacture of electrodes used in a human body are limited. Many of these implant metals are expensive while others are difficult to handle. For example, several types of stainless steel are sanctioned for implantation and can thus be used to make electrodes. However, a great difficulty with stainless steel is that it is very difficult to combine and/or connect with other metals/materials. Accordingly, attachment of stainless steel wires to a connector is not only costly but can also result in a high level of failed connections.